Autism Awareness
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Autism Awareness Emily Pickard, a retired clinical psychologist, is a well known advocate for the National Autism Association who is known for her hard work and dedication which is shown in her article “What Causes Autism”. Her article, written for individuals wanting to know or learn more about autism, defines what autism is and some of the contributing factors that might cause autism. Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts. It is a theory that autism is caused from strictly environmental factors. These include but are not limited to: Pesticide Exposure, Parental Age, Pharmaceuticals, Freeway Proximity, and Prenatal Vitamin Intake. The main argument about autism is whether autism is a genetic disorder or whether it is caused by certain vaccinations. Emily states that “ Vaccinations can trigger or exacerbate autism in some, if not many, children, especially those who are genetically predisposed to immune, autoimmune or inflammatory conditions” (2). This article is extremely important to my research paper because it debates both sides on whether autism is caused by vaccinations/Environmental factors or if it is a genetic disorder.Scott, Cameron. “Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism — So What Does?” Healthlines RSS News. Healtline, 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. Cameron Scott, a reliable researcher, who mainly researches for Healthline which is displayed in the article “Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism So What Does?”. His article, written for interested adults, explains why vaccines dont cause autism. Experts agree that, although the outward signs of autism show up in toddlers just as they are getting a major course of vaccines, the condition is most likely set by the time a child is born. The strongest factors affect a baby before birth. The genes linked to autism affect the early development of brain circuits. Cameron states “Much of the strongest evidence on which environmental factors can spur autism also focuses on what happens to a fetus in the womb” (4). This article is the concrete block to my research paper because it proves my point that vaccines do not cause autism.
Wang, Paul. “Are Children Born with Autism, or Does It Develop Later?” Autismspeaks.org. Autism Speaks, May-June 2004. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. Paul Wang, Autism Speaks senior vice president for medical research, is known for his accurate research and proper diagnosis of individuals. Dr. Paul Wangs targeted audience is those who chose to raise autism awareness. In most medical conditions, the underlying processes are triggered before their signs and symptoms become obvious. Toxic exposures during pregnancy and complications associated with delivery can disrupt brain processes before birth and shortly afterwards. Mutations in the genes associated with autism can affect how the brain develops and functions, starting well before birth. Even though the outward symptoms of autism may not be apparent immediately after birth, the underlying brain differences are accumulating. Dr. Wang stated “sometimes the brain can compensate to make up for the disrupted processes. Eventually though, if the disruption was sufficiently severe, the compensatory processes are no longer enough, and symptoms emerge”(12). This article is a partial component to my essay because it explains when someone gets autism and proves that autism is not caused by vaccinations.Smith, Amy. “Autism Spectrum Disorder.” NIMH RSS. National Institute of Mental Health, Dec.-Jan. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. Amy Smith, mental health expert, displays her knowledge about autism in the article “ Autism Spectrum Disorder”. Amys targeted audience is anyone who would like to learn what autism spectrum disorder is and what causes it. Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts; Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities; Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period; and Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning. Some children are mildly impaired by their symptoms, while others are severely disabled. Scientists dont know the exact causes of autism spectrum disorder, but research suggests that both genes and environment play important roles. Scientists have only had some success in finding exactly which genes are involved. Amy claims, “Most people who develop Autism Spectrum Disorder have no reported family history of autism, suggesting that random, rare, and possibly many gene mutations are likely to affect a persons risk” (32). This article is imperative to my research project because it explains how someone gets autism and what the symptoms of autism are.